Game board apparatus



- INVE N TO R'- Q@@@ @Q@ W FIGURE 11 A WHITE VERTICAL FIGURE J THOMAS .1. KING T. J. KING GAME BOARD APPARATUS Filed Dec. 20, 1954 May 7, 1957 FIGURE 11:

BLACK II -CU no? Q FIGURE 11A QDGE United States Patent GAME BOARD APPARATUS Thomas J. King, New City, N. Y. Application December 20, 1954, Serial No. 476,460

2 Claims. or. 273-430 The object of the present invention is to provide a new and novel game employing two sets of markers, one set being distinguished from the other by color and each marker having a number fixed upon it, and a board marked for the reception of these markers in vertical columns and horizontal rows, and two indicators with one of which a player can indicate a vertical column of his choice and with the other a second player can indicate a horizontal row of his choice.

The game is played by two players in the following manner. Each player takes all the markers of one color and then the players alternate placing the markers one at a time on the board. When all the markers are placed on the board, every space marked for the reception of a marker is filled. Then each player takes an indicator. One player, not revealing his choice to the other, uses his indicator to indicate a row on the board, and the other player in a like manner uses his indicator to indicate a column. Simultaneously both players reveal their choices. The player whose color of marker was placed at the intersection of the selected column and row scores for himself the numerical value of this marker. The players continue to make these selections with their indicators until one player reaches a predetermined score and wins the game, whereon the markers are removed from the board and the game is over.

A more detailed description of the game and the manners in which it can be played will now be made, having reference to the accompanying drawings and specification in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a suitable game board without any markers placed upon it. Figure 2 is a plan view of the markers which can be used to play on the board shown in Figure 1. Figure 2A is a perspective view of one of the markers. Figure 3 is a plan view of the game board as it could look after two players had placed their markers upon it. Figure 4A and Figure 4B are plan views of the indicators needed to play on this particular game board. The indicators are used as follows. Each player holds his indicator in his hand so that the other player cannot see the rotatable pointing element fixed in the center of his indicator, and then each player moves the rotatable pointing element to select either a row marked A, B, C or D on the board and on one indicator, or the column marked A, B, C or D on the board and on the other indicator. Then the players simultaneously reveal their choices to each other by placing their indicators face up beside the board.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the number 1 by Figure 1 indicates an area on the game board marked for the reception of a marker. The markers in Figure 2 should be fiat tiles of two colors, in this case eight black and eight white with numbers stamped on their top surface. The markers are numbered in each set 1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5, 6, 7, because it was found after much experimentation that these values tended to force both players to distribute their choices over more than two rows or more than two columns more often than did the values 1, 2,

2 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. The fact that each player faced with a specific arrangement of numbered markers has more often to consider more than two rows or more than two columns in making his selection adds interest and complexity to the game. Figure 2A, a perspective view of one of the markers, shows its relative thickness.

Figure 3, a plan view of the game board as it might appear after two players had placed their markers upon it, requires the following explanation. A series of numbers arranged in columns and rows is known as a matrix by mathematicians familiar with that body of mathematics known as the theory of games. In this game both players form a matrix by placing their markers on the board. Now, using the higher mathematics or using the arithmetical approximations incorporated in the theory of games, each player can arrive at his optimum solu-= tion for a particular matrix. In the case of the game with the assembled matrix as shown in Figure 3, the player with the white markers and the choice of the vertical columns would play A, B, C, D in the ratio of 5 to 0 to 11 to 4 in order to get the highest possible score. The other player with the black markers and the horizontal rows would play row A, B, C, D in the ratio of 1 to 11 to l to 7 to get the highest possible score. In this game the advantage over a long period of play would lie with black who would have an average gain of 1.25 points per play, if both players used their optimum strategies. It must be kept in mind that over a long period of play if one player is able to base his plays on a strategy at which he arrived using the theory of games as applied to the solution of a matrix, this player will be sure to have an advantage over the most enlightened guesswork of an opponent.

Since this is a strategy game using no chance device, each player attempts to make random selections of his choices of rows or columns in the best possible ratio. Over a long period of play the winner of the game will be decided by the composition of the particular matrix that has been assembled and by the ability of each player to make rand-om selections in the best strategic ratio. Therefore it can 'be seen that this game divides into two phases, the placement of the markers and the application of the theory of games while using the resulting matrix for scoring play. During the placement of the markers, each player must exercise great care as he attempts to form a matrix favorable to himself and'unfavorable to his opponent. As an extreme example of the placement phase of the game, if the player placing the black markers allowed the player placing the white markers to complete a vertical column of white markers without blocking the completion of this column with the placement of a black marker in it, during the scoring phase of the game the player placing the white markers would only have to select that column to score a value regardless of any choice the player placing the black markers could make of a row. Thus it can be seen that the placement phase of the game is every bit as important as the scoring phase of the game.

In the particular form of the game as shown in the drawing, Figure 1 through Figure 4B, it is suggested that the matrix be reassembled after a player has scored twenty-five or more points. This adds interest to the game as a new matrix is :formed and each player strives to construct the new matrix so that it will give him a strategic advantage.

The game as pictured in Figure 3 could be played by more than two persons. One person could call himself the bank and indicate a vertical column with the indicator shown in Figure 4B which he would then place face down in front of him. Two or more other players would then indicate horizontal rows of their choice by each player placing one or more chips next to the row of his choice. When all the players except the banker have selected their choices of horizontal rows, then the banker turns over his indicator and either receives or pays, according to the color of the markers, the amount placed on each horizontal row multiplied by the numerical value of the marker in the column the banker had selected.

The board, as shown in Figure 1, may be made of wood, paper, cardboard, plastic, metal, or any other suitable material. The board can be marked for the reception of the markers by printing, stamping, removing material, adding material, or any other suitable means. The board may also be made to hold a matrix that has as few as two rows and two columns, or it can hold a matrix that has two or more rows and two or more columns.

The markers, Figure 2, may be of any suitable size, shape, or material. There must be two distinguishable classes of markers, one class to be placed by the player who selects vertical columns, and the other class to be placed by players or the player who select the horizontal rows. The differentiation between these two classes of markers may be indicated by different colors, shapes of the markers, symbols to indicate two classifications, or any other suitable means. The numerical values afiixed to the markers can be varied widely, although low, positive numbers are the most desirable as the score can then be easily added up.

The indicators, Figure 4A and Figure 4B, are used to show a players choice of a row or a colunrn by means of a pointing arrow which is set by the player. However a players choice of a row or a column could be made by selecting one of a number of cards that had the players possible choices printed on them. The choice could also be made by a players placing a die under a cup with his choice of row or column indicated by printing on the faces of the die. Many suitable indicators could be devised to play this game.

I have described several possible modifications in the form of the components of this basic strategy game which is played by two or more players who make independent selections of the columns or rows in a matrix that they have assembled. It is evident that other modifications could be devised exhibiting the characteristics of the invention as defined in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A game apparatus comprising a first set of numbered markers, at second set of numbered markers able to be readily distinguished from said first set of numbered markers, a game board marked with spaces for the reception of said numbered markers in rows and columns so that two players may each place one set of said numbered markers alternately and one marker at a time on said game board until all the markers fill all the spaces on said game board, a first indicating device with which a player may indicate a column of his choice on said game board, and a second indicating device with which the other player may indicate a row of his choice on said game board so that each player may indicate his selection on his indicating device without revealing his choice .to the other player until both indicating devices are revealed whereon the numerical value of the marker lying at the intersection of the indicated row and column is scored by the player who placed that marker.

2. A game apparatus comprising a first set of eight numbered markers, a second set of eight numbered markers bearing the same values as said first set of numbered markers and able to be readily distinguished from said first set of numbered markers, a game board with spaces marked in four rows and four columns for the reception of said numbered markers so that two players may each place one of said sets of markers alternately and one at a time to fill all the spaces marked on said game board, a first indicating device with which one player may indicate a column of his choice on said game board, and a second indicating device with which the other player may indicate a row of his choice on said game board so that each player may indicate his selection on his indicating, device without revealing his choice to the other player until both indicating devices are revealed whereon the numerical value of the marker lying at the intersection of the indicated row and column is scored by the player who placed that marker.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 682,388 Pigueron Sept. 10, 1901 1,425,617 Terry Aug. 15, 1922 1,509,791 Stevens Sept. 23, 1924 1,679,821 Ficklen Aug. 7, 1928 2,609,204 Wixson Sept. 2, 1952 OTHER REFERENCES J. D. Williams, The CompleatStrategyst, copyright 1954. 

